CCM Hall of Fame: Steve Taylor

Over the past two decades, Steve Taylor has been an extremely
influential figure in contemporary Christian music--from his early days as
a pioneering new waver to his long-term tour of duty as record producer and
video director to his relatively short stint as a groundbreaking label
exec. Today, he is putting the finishing touches on his first major motion
picture.

Studying music and film in college in the late 1970s, Taylor's
imagination was captured when he discovered The Clash. Enamored with the
passion with which the band articulated the problems of the world, Taylor
felt a burden to articulate some answers. Consequently, he began writing a
new kind of Christian music, a brash new wave matched to acerbic lyrics
that challenged listeners to think about their faith and the world in a
different way.

Fresh out of college, Taylor--a youth pastor--took his music around to
the Christian record labels of the day, but execs were skittish. Then a key
appearance in 1982 at the famed annual Christian Artists Conference in
Estes Park, Colorado--his first live set, in fact--led to a deal with
Sparrow Records.

The label tested the waters with the six-song EP I Want To Be A
Clone. Christian music fans snapped it up, paving the way for a
series of acclaimed full-length albums chock-full of the irrepressable
energy, conviction and humor that Taylor fans came to expect. (And don't
get us started about those live shows, aerobic events that inevitably led
to a broken ankle at Taylor's mainstage performance during the very first
Cornerstone Festival, leading to the famous t-shirt slogan, "Did he jump or
was he pushed?").

While Taylor became the first Christian modern rocker to surpass 150,000
copies in sales per album, his satirical style often went over the heads of
stuffy legalists.

Following 1987's I Predict 1990, Taylor temporarily retired
from Christian music for a brief period with the band Chagall Guevara,
comprised of Christian music veterans, and signed to MCA Records. Despite
strong reviews and national college radio airplay, the band fell victim to
modest sales and restructuring at MCA and was short-lived.

Returning to the Christian music industry, Taylor made a triumphant
comeback with a new solo album, Squint, which landed his
second Grammy nomination. He also began to apply his talents to the aid of
others, working as producer, songwriter and/or music video director for the
likes of Newsboys, Twila Paris, Rich Mullins, Margaret Becker and Guardian.
As his work became more elaborate and more creative, inflating his Dove
Award collection, it soon became clear he had bigger aspirations.

In 1997, Taylor launched Squint Entertainment, a new label under Word
Entertainment. He also produced the first release, Sixpence None The
Richer's self-titled album; the multi-platinum-seller included the
international No. 1 pop hit, "Kiss Me," which Taylor had to convince the
band to include on the album. As Squint spread its creative reach, the
label signed such artists as Chevelle, Burlap to Cashmere and L.A.
Symphony.

Alas, Squint was eventually caught up in label politics, as parent label
Word changed hands. The dream that was Squint Entertainment no longer had a
place for Steve Taylor or his hand-picked staff (which included
CCM editor Jay Swartzendruber).

Taylor took the time on his hands as an opportunity for a career
change--for years, he had made it clear he had his eye on working in film.
Today, he is on the verge of his big screen directorial debut. The
Second Chance, a major motion picture starring Michael W. Smith, is
slated for nation-wide theatrical release September 9.